"No doubt I see him there," Irvin said at the Pro Bowl, via the Ravens' official website. "He's an incredible player, he's been an incredible player for a long time. There's no doubt in my mind that, one day, he shall definitely wear a gold jacket."

"That's a guy I feel is going to be a Hall of Famer," Rice added. "I just love watching him whenever he puts that football uniform on."

With 68 more yards in his 2016 encore season, Smith will become just 11th player ever to reach 14,000 career receiving yards.

After watching Cris Carter (2013), Andre Reed (2014), Tim Brown (2015) and Marvin Harrison (2016) break the logjam at wide receiver over the past half-decade, the 36-year-old star told the Dan Patrick Show last month that his Hall of Fame chances have increased.

"It's part of the reason why I'm coming back," Smith said of reaching 14,000 yards. "It's one of the things to cross off the Christmas list."